Vol. 12, Issue No. 3: 18 March 2013 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Welcome to Volume 12, Issue No. 3 (18 March 2013) of Pharma Marketing News. Thank you for being a subscriber. See the featured article summaries below.
John Mack, Publisher & Editor
editor@news.pharma-mkting.com
@pharmaguy Help Doctors Educate Patients About Their Condition & Treatment Vivacare’s Online Patient Education Kits
Vivacare offers industry partners (pharmaceutical firms, device firms and/or their agencies) an opportunity to develop and distribute “Disease Education Kits” that leverage Vivacare’s patient education platform and physician network.
This article is a review of Vivacare’s service as part of a pharmaceutical brand’s digital marketing efforts.
Topics include:
- The Digital Patient-Centric Model
- Vivacare’s Patient Education Library
- Embed the Vivacare Widget
- Physician & Patient Benefits
- Trusted Information Sources
- Pharma Sponsored “Disease Education Kits”
- Kit Components
- Reach, Targeting, and Metrics
Download the full text PDF file here:
http://ec2-54-175-84-28.compute-1.amazonaws.com/pharma-mkting.com/news/prodsvcs/pmn1203-article01.pdf Pharma is Overcoming Social Media Hurdles Assessing the Three Biggest Obstacles to Success
The pharmaceutical industry has been slow to adopt social media as part of its marketing strategy for a variety of reasons, including FDA regulations regarding fair balance, adverse event reporting, and off-label promotion.
Nevertheless, pharmaceutical marketers have come a long way in integrating social media into their overall marketing strategy. Not every pharma company, however, is at the same point in the adoption curve. Some are more willing to take “risks,” some are more savvy about applicable FDA regulations, and some are more knowledgeable about social media in general.
In order to determine how ready pharmaceutical companies are for engaging in social media marketing, Pharma Marketing News began hosting the online “Rate Your Social Media Marketing Readiness” self-assessment tool in December, 2007, when social media first appeared on the pharma radar screen.
This article summarizes the results and compares results from two different time periods to determine if any progress has been made.
Topics include:
- Caution Abounds
- Social Media Obstacle Self Assessment
- Survey Questions and Scoring
- Is Pharma Ready for Social Media Now?
- Regulatory Obstacles
- The Cultural Hurdle
- The Knowledge & Usage Gap Persists
- Pharma Can Overcome the Hurdles
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http://ec2-54-175-84-28.compute-1.amazonaws.com/pharma-mkting.com/news/prodsvcs/pmn1203-article02.pdf Spending on Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Takes a Nosedive Why Drug Companies Are Abandoning DTC
Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) advertising took a nosedive in 2012. According to data from cegedim Strategic Data, DTC spending decreased by 22% in 2012 compared to 2011.
The decline in DTC spending has been more or less steady since the 2006 when the industry spent more than $5.4 billion. What is causing the whimpering end of DTC?
As many experts have pointed out, there are several likely causes, including the recession of 2007-2008, shrinking pipeline (fewer new drugs means fewer ads), and the rise of generics (which generally are not advertised).
This article reviews data that supports one cause not often mentioned: the shift to developing drugs for small populations of patients (so-called “orphan” drugs) and complex biologics, which may also be targeted to small populations.
Topics include:
- The Downward Spending Spiral
- Execs Think It’s Time to Trim DTC
- What Are the Causes?
- Rise of Biologics
- A Change in Paradigm
- Targeted Advertising
- Figure: Annual Changes in Channel Spending (2011-2012)
- Figure: DTC Measured Media Ad Spend (2006-2012)
- Figure: Peak Year Sales of Top Drugs
- Table: Promotional Spending on Biologics (2010)
Download the full text PDF file here:
http://ec2-54-175-84-28.compute-1.amazonaws.com/pharma-mkting.com/news/pmn1203-article03.pdf
